Gap filler has had a full on year and has achieved so much, establishing many creative projects in central Christchurch for community benefit, making it an interesting, dynamic and vibrant city.
This unique creative urban regeneration initiative, started in response to the Canterbury earthquakes, has taken vacant sites awaiting redevelopment and turned these into spaces where local people can meet, take part in music, art, performance and activities.
Dave Richards, our Projects and Strategy Manager here at The Tindall Foundation says we are delighted to support Gap Filler Trust because… “It delivers on its promise to engage a lot of local people in a substantial number of innovative, uplifting, community projects. It is also helping to put Christchurch back on the map, contributing to its new post-quake identity, and encouraging Cantabrians and tourists back into the city.”
Here are some of the fantastic projects Gap Filler had achieved this year:
- Gap Golf – a mini-golf course around the central city. Each hole as been designed and built by different groups of volunteers such as students or corporate volunteers.
- RAD Bikes – a relocatable community bike workshop in collaboration with Inner-City East Cycles. Gap Filler built the structure themselves from mostly recycled or donated materials. Repair skills workshops will be held weekly with monthly zany, wacky workshops taking place for more creative, ambitious projects!
- Two relocations of the Dance-O-Mat project to central-city locations.
- Sound Garden – collaborating with Greening the Rubble, this project features musical instruments made from junk, recycled materials and found objects on a vacant site for anyone to play.
- Faux Arcadia by Michaela Cox – 10 artworks on different sites around the central city.
- Development of Education and Outreach offerings – Gap Filler has worked with various youth and school groups on projects like He Tangata and Rock on East Side. They’ve also been working with teachers to develop curricula for schools that would see Gap projects part of NCEA Geography offerings.
- Return of the Cycle-Powered Cinema as part of the Chity Council OPEN STREETS festival.
- Facilitation of hundreds of volunteer hours over the year from international students to high school students to corporate volunteer days.
- And! Raising $82,000 through crowd funding to decide the future of the Pallet Pavilion. Originally meant to be deconstructed in May, 2013, the Pavilion will stay on site until April 2014. Funding has seen the creation of three more paid roles to run this space as an equipped community venue.
This space hosted 70+ events in four months from Jan – April in 2013 and fortnightly markets across the winter. Now that the weather is warmer again, it will host more than four events per week from markets to live music, cinema, kid’s events, book launches and more.
It’s been a big year! As a result of the organisation’s hard work there have been more youth driven/youth-focused projects delivered and more young people in the city visiting Gap Filler, particularly at the Pallet Pavilion. There is more awareness of the positive activity in Christchurch and greater traction for the transitional movement as a whole.